Melissa Mountain: Good Vibes, Big Watts, and Building Stronger Women in Cycling 🇨🇦
From Halifax, Nova Scotia, Melissa Mountain brings East Coast energy, leadership, and unapologetic enthusiasm to SISU Racing.
If you’ve ever raced with her, you know two things:
The playlist is elite.
The pace is not optional.
All Rihanna. All the Time.
Melissa’s pain cave is what she proudly calls “team training all the way.” She and her husband Kenny ride side by side — dual trainers, dual screens, dual fans. Her setup runs through a TV; Kenny’s projects onto the wall. It’s equal parts performance lab and date night debate arena.
Her soundtrack?
Rihanna on repeat. Old school hip hop. R&B. Anything with a steady, uplifting beat — especially for Zwift races.
Coffee? Before and after.
“Coffee is LIFE.”
She’s a night owl racer — the later the better.
From Bodybuilding Stage to the Start Line
Melissa’s cycling journey began about 12 years ago when she decided to step away from competitive bodybuilding and try something new. She bought a road bike, joined a local cycling club, and discovered something she hadn’t expected:
She loved group riding.
That spark turned into outdoor road racing, gravel events, and eventually Zwift racing during long Canadian winters. What started as curiosity became identity.
Today, she’s as comfortable in a long-distance climbing race as she is in a pure time trial against the clock. An all-rounder with edge.
On group rides? She’s often the one encouraging everyone to push the pace just a little more.
Team First, Always
Melissa’s proudest moments aren’t necessarily about standing on podiums.
They’re about teamwork.
She’s a past President of her local cycling club in Halifax and helped build a racing team within the club to encourage riders of all ages and levels to step into competition.
Her favourite cycling memories include:
Winning tough TTTs with SISU’s women’s squads
Racing challenging UCI gravel events with Kenny
Supporting friends in feed zones
Watching new riders fall in love with the sport
She finds joy in lifting others.
Why WTRL Tuesday Nights Matter
Her favourite Zwift series is the Zwift Racing League Tuesday night race.
For Melissa, it’s more than watts and tactics — it’s about showing up for one another. The women of SISU’s Leippa and Voita squads have built something powerful through consistency and support.
And when it comes to TTT?
She never misses.
The Hani Effect
Melissa’s love for the weekly Team Time Trial with the Hani squad is contagious.
She describes it as a safe space — a place to practice, learn, race hard, and laugh harder.
Bad week? Race with Hani.
Expect full gas efforts and “good vibes only.”
It’s competition without ego. Ambition without exclusion.
Mindset: Stay Steady
Melissa doesn’t try to brute force motivation when it dips. She returns to the basics:
Small habits.
Signed-up events.
Accountability to teammates.
When facing long-term setbacks, her advice is grounded:
Give yourself patience and grace. Control what you can. Let go of what you can’t. Surround yourself with people who lift you up.
Cycling has taught her how to stay calm in discomfort — on a long climb or in life’s harder conversations.
You breathe.
You find rhythm.
You keep pedalling.
Fuel, Hydrate, Repeat
Her number one training tip?
Hydrate.
Closely followed by learning how to properly fuel — especially for racing. It’s a lesson she learned the hard way early on.
SISU Women: Building Something Bigger
As a member of the SISU Women’s Leadership team, Melissa is deeply proud of the team’s commitment to advancing women in cycling esports.
Her perspective is clear:
When women have equal opportunity to train, compete, lead, and be visible, sport becomes richer — more competitive, more innovative, more reflective of the world it serves.
Progress for women strengthens the entire ecosystem of sport.
And that belief is already in action.
International Women’s Day — March 8
Melissa has already signed up for SISU Racing’s International Women’s Day event on March 8 and is promoting it widely.
Her message to women across Zwift:
Save the date.
Show up.
Ride with us.
This isn’t just another race. It’s a milestone moment.
2026: Gravel & Growth
Melissa is heading back to a full outdoor calendar this spring and summer, leaning heavily into gravel racing — a discipline that has challenged and excited her in equal measure.
Gravel, she says, has introduced a steep learning curve — literally and figuratively — and she’s embracing it.
When she’s not racing, she’s:
Caddying for Kenny at competitive golf events
Cheering on her son Brandon as he starts university
Planning the next adventure
Date Night Debates
Of course, having two competitive athletes in one household means Zwift comes up at dinner.
Bikes. Golf. Rib-jabbing about sprint finishes.
Kenny likes to remind her he’s got a “mean sprint” on Zwift.
Melissa has opinions.
These discussions are ongoing.
Finish This Sentence
“SISU Racing is…”
Melissa doesn’t hesitate:
“Like a huge family cheering for each other. It’s way more than just racing — it’s a culture full of lifelong friendships built through a shared joy of cycling.”
From Halifax winters to global race radios, from Rihanna fuelled efforts to women led change — Melissa Mountain rides with purpose.